Team kickoffs are a critical moment to set direction, clarify expectations, and ensure everyone is working toward the same goals. But too often, kickoffs can become centered around tasks and internal processes rather than the actual value being created for customers. That’s where the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework can add tremendous value.

Instead of jumping directly into roles and deliverables, JTBD encourages teams to first ask a simple but powerful question: What job is the customer trying to get done? This reframes the conversation from what we’re building to why we’re building it—grounding the project in real customer needs from the very beginning.

The real impact of customer-centered kickoffs

Using the JTBD framework in kickoffs helps your team:

• Clarify purpose: JTBD puts customer goals at the center of the discussion, making priorities feel more meaningful and grounded.
• Cut through noise: Too many strategies are built around assumptions. JTBD simplifies the noise by zeroing in on functional, emotional, and social customer needs.
• Drive shared understanding: When the whole team rallies around the same customer-focused outcome, it reduces confusion later in the project.

Example of JTBD in a kickoff scenario

Let’s say you’re launching a new mobile banking feature. Instead of starting your kickoff by listing features, the JTBD approach would first ask: “What job is our customer hiring this app to do?” Maybe the answer is, “Give me greater control over my finances on the go.” That customer ‘job’ then becomes the north star of your project strategy—not the feature list.

When used in this way, JTBD ensures strategy aligns with the real-world challenges people are trying to solve. It’s not just about creating products or campaigns—it’s about helping people make progress in their lives.

Why JTBD stands out as a kickoff tool

Unlike frameworks that focus mostly on internal KPIs or technical capabilities, the JTBD framework increases empathy and focus. It’s a simple way to reframe kickoffs as a customer-alignment exercise instead of just a task-planning session. When you apply JTBD to project briefings and early planning, you're laying the groundwork for a team strategy that connects deeply with real needs, not just assumptions.

Ultimately, JTBD is more than a way to organize a briefing—it’s a mindset that can shape how your entire team approaches work from the outset.

Project alignment doesn’t happen automatically. Even highly skilled teams can find themselves moving in different directions if the purpose of the project isn’t clearly defined and shared. The Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework helps solve this challenge by creating a consistent lens through which everyone understands the customer and the goal. When brought into a kickoff meeting, JTBD sets your team up to collaborate intentionally—not just act on separate priorities.

Shared focus begins with a common goal

At its core, the JTBD framework focuses on understanding what customers are trying to achieve, not just what they’re buying or using. This focus creates a customer-centered strategy that bridges departments. Whether it’s product, design, marketing, or sales, everyone is aligned around the same underlying job to be done.

For example, in a marketing team alignment session, centering the discussion around the JTBD might look like this:

• Instead of: "We need to promote Feature X in Q2."
• Try: "Customers are trying to stay organized without wasting time—how can we help them achieve that?”

This approach narrows the focus to what customers truly need, which translates into more impactful content, clearer messaging, and better decision-making as the project unfolds.

Improves briefings and cross-functional collaboration

Using JTBD in your kickoff briefings transforms how you present the problem and opportunity. Rather than opening with long lists of deliverables, clarify the desired customer outcome. This helps every participant, no matter their role, to contribute in terms of the customer journey—not just siloed objectives.

Here’s how JTBD brings alignment benefits to common scenarios:

• For product managers: Helps define user stories and feature sets that support actual customer progress.
• For marketing leads: Informs campaign direction based on specific 'jobs' customers are trying to complete.
• For leadership teams: Provides customer-focused language that makes strategic trade-offs simpler to manage.

Alignment leads to better execution

When teams understand the customer’s job to be done from the start, it becomes easier to prioritize features, messages, and resources that drive real impact. Instead of debating internal opinions, teams are guided by an outside-in perspective, leading to quicker decisions and stronger execution.

In practice, integrating the JTBD framework often results in fewer mid-project pivots, clearer project goals, and better communication. It acts as both a filter for evaluating ideas and a compass for staying on course. That’s why using JTBD in kickoff meetings isn't just a planning step—it’s part of an overall project kickoff framework that strengthens alignment and increases your likelihood of success.

Ultimately, JTBD gives teams a structured way to move in the same direction—bringing clarity to complex projects and purpose to teamwork from day one.

Introducing the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework during a project briefing doesn't have to be complicated. Done right, it becomes a powerful alignment tool that translates customer needs into unified team plans from day one. Whether you're leading a marketing team, product group, or cross-functional initiative, using the JTBD framework in project briefings can illuminate the ‘why’ behind your efforts and shape stronger, goal-driven collaboration.

Start by Framing the Customer's Job, Not the Product

Instead of beginning your briefing with product requirements or campaign tactics, open by articulating the core job the customer is trying to get done. Ask: What progress does the customer want to make? What outcome are they really hiring our solution to achieve?

Define the Job Driver and Desired Outcome

Every job has a motivation behind it – a struggle or goal that prompts the action. Clarify these elements out loud in your kickoff:

• Job Driver: What triggers the customer to start looking for a solution?
• Success Criteria: How will they know the job was done well?

Bringing these into the briefing makes the project more customer-aligned from the start.

Map Jobs to Team Responsibilities

Once the customer job is defined, assign or discuss how different team functions contribute to supporting that job. For example:

• Product managers define features that directly support the job.
• Marketing teams align messaging to the customer's goal.
• UX designers ensure ease of achieving that outcome.

This step supports team strategy by showing how every role connects to a shared outcome.

Use Plain Language and Visual Aids

Especially for teams new to this framework, introduce JTBD in a simple, relatable way. Avoid jargon. A visual like a customer journey map or storyboard can help bring the customer’s context to life during the meeting. Clear visuals help embed customer orientation into conversations and reinforce understanding of project goals.

Close with Priorities Aligned to the Job

Wrap your project briefing by naming top priorities or milestones under the lens of the job to be done. This not only communicates direction – it also ensures your agenda serves the customer’s underlying need from day one.

While using the Jobs to Be Done framework in a specific kickoff or project briefing is a strong start, the real impact comes from weaving it into your team culture. Here are tips to make JTBD a consistent part of how you think, plan, and collaborate.

Talk About Jobs, Not Just Metrics

Encourage conversations across your team about the “why” behind customer behaviors – not just the “what.” If a campaign underperforms, reframe the discussion: What job did the customer hope to accomplish, and where might we have missed the mark? This builds a habit of curiosity and empathy throughout the project lifecycle.

Include JTBD in Briefing Templates

You can integrate JTBD into your team planning process by adding it as a standard field in your internal briefing or kickoff docs. Try prompts like:

• “What is the main job the customer is hiring us for?”
• “What outcomes matter most to them?”
• “What events trigger this job?”

Even answering these questions briefly can lead to sharper decision-making downstream.

Encourage Cross-Functional Storytelling

Sometimes the easiest way to build JTBD habits is through stories. Invite team members in product, marketing, or insights roles to share moments when understanding a customer’s job changed the direction of a project. These real stories can inspire others to think more holistically during planning.

Collaborate with Research and Insights Teams

Partnering with consumer insights experts (like those at SIVO Insights) can help you identify and validate JTBD opportunities more deeply. Our team uses qualitative and quantitative methods to uncover nuanced customer needs and put language around goals that drive behavior. Adding insights to the mix can uncover hidden jobs and refine your strategies.

Celebrate Outcomes, Not Just Outputs

Finally, reinforce JTBD thinking by celebrating when your work helps customers make meaningful progress. Was a customer's life made easier, faster, less stressful? Spotlighting these wins shows the value of aligning team strategy with customer needs – and invites everyone to keep thinking in terms of jobs done well.